Station 429

the night of transition

the night of transition

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There was a new feeling in the air at the station as the kids started off the new year. They seemed happier and laughed more, were able to crack more jokes here and there. It was quite refreshing for everyone, including me.

"So then," Kendall was saying through a fit of laughter, "my grandma kept running around the house with a broom, trying to kill the bee for, like, twenty minutes."

"Why wasn't your grandpa doing anything?" Mia asked.

"Because he was the one who let the damn thing in the house, so he was hiding."

"From the bee?" Nathan said.

"No, my grandma! She was about to kill him after she got the bee."

Everyone erupted into a fit of laughter, and Foster watched Colleen wipe at her eyes. "Hey, you're actually crying happy tears for once," he said to her.

She elbowed him. "Oh, shut up."

"Ow, you got my ribs," he told her as he proceeded to start poking her side, which caused her to laugh even more.

"Okay, okay!" she said. He stopped and gave her a moment to recompose herself. "God, that was so unnecessary." All he did was stick his tongue out at her.

She shook her head then looked away. For once, she was content with everything going on in her life. She wondered how she got so lucky to find these people after all that had happened to her.

Her gaze shifted towards Misty, who was sitting on the opposite side of the circle. She hadn't been contributing much to the conversation that night. Actually, she seemed to be in a daze the whole night, and Colleen felt she was the only one who noticed.

"Is something wrong with Misty?" Colleen asked Foster.

He glanced over Colleen's head, then back to Colleen. "I don't know, but something seems off."

"So I'm not going crazy," she mumbled, looking over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Want me to come?"

"Nah. I got it."

She stood up and walked across the circle. No one really seemed to notice, as they were wrapped up in their own conversations by that time. Colleen sat down next to Misty and said, "Hey."

Misty looked up, surprised, as if she hadn't known she was there. Perhaps she hadn't, being so lost in her thoughts. "Oh, hey Colleen," she said half-heartedly.

"I'll just cut to the chase: what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

Colleen gave her a look. "Misty, it's written all over your face."

Misty sighed. "My sister called me last night."

"Your sister what?"

Colleen wasn't the one who said that, it was Foster, who was already sitting straight up and calling the attention of the whole group.

Damn it, Foster, Colleen thought, thinking that was the dumbest thing he could have done, getting everyone involved.

Misty buried her head in her hands. "She called me."

"Don't tell me you answered."

She looked up, looking slightly furious, which Colleen considered to be a very bad sign. "Yes, Foster, I answered. Because that's what you do when someone calls."